The best way to teach your children healthy eating habits for life is to start young – but that means you should get them into the kitchen at some point. Between sliding through the hallways and running out the back door, it may seem nearly impossible. However, if you wrangle them down for just a bit, you can make it a process they’ll want to be involved in.

Let Them Choose Dinner

Before you can do anything, you have to decide what meal the kids will be making. While there are a host of kid friendly options that come in a box, like mac-and-cheese or cereal, it’s important that allow them to help you make it an entire meal. Letting them choose the dinner, however, will be a two step process.

• You start: Before talking with your children, consider some meals you know they could definitely help with in the event their suggestions are completely out of whack – which is likely!
• Discuss ideas: Before making your suggestions, see what’s on their mind. If they suggest something they love, that you could make work, go with it. This increases their interest in the project.  

Take Them Shopping

Where does your journeys in the kitchen start? At the grocery store. You plan for your week of meals, hit the store on Sundays (or maybe Monday after work!) and stock up for the week. With all your food, you make a week full of delicious meals. So, what better way to start the process with your children than grocery shopping?

You can use a grocery delivery service such as mygofer, if you don’t have time to roam the store with your 4 year old, or do it on a weekend. Take this time at the store to arm them with the knowledge they’ll need.

• Parts of the meal: You can teach them what the different aspects of a full meal are – protein, vegetable, carb – in kid friendly terms of course. This will also allow you to direct the shopping, taking them to each section of the grocery store where these items will be found.
• Organic versus not: Take this opportunity to show them the organic items – it’s never too early to teach your children why it’s essential to buy organic; it’s an important component to a healthy diet that will stick as they grow.

Make It a Game

Your kids like to play – inside, outside, it doesn’t matter. So, if you make the cooking process into a game, it’s more likely they’ll stay interested and involved for the duration. While the “game” will depend upon the meal that you’re planning to make, there are a few basic ideas to start with.

• Competition: If you have more than one child, give them each a task and suggest the person who does it the best gets to crack the eggs, or something kids are often drawn to.
• Board game: In board games you can often only move forward when you’ve done one thing right. Present the dinner to your children like a game. You have to get this absolutely perfect before you can do the next thing. This may spark some determination to do it well and correct.
• What they like: Each child is unique and motivated by something different. Take the games your children like best and find a creative way to incorporate it.

With fast food and processed choices at the fingertips of everyone, it’s important that you instill the importance of home cooking and good food at an early age. Studies have shown that children who are taught early are more likely to see it through to adulthood. So, be sure to make this an important aspect of the learning process. 

Photo credit: Sheknows.com